


Parallels

by sky_reid



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Art, M/M, and make ups, and symbolism, break ups, to enhance quality of images, will be edited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-27
Updated: 2012-11-27
Packaged: 2017-11-19 16:03:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_reid/pseuds/sky_reid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin and Arthur have known each other since forever, they've been best friends their whole lives, and with time, they became more. They were each other's first and only everything. That is, until they started the university. Arthur, driven to succeed, spent all his time studying, but Merlin wanted to explore his options, so to speak. They were not exactly what he expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parallels

**Author's Note:**

> _Refer to the body of the post for extensive notes._
> 
> ~~(This is gonna take a while, but bear with me because it's all important)~~
> 
> ~~1) The quality of the images SUCKS monkey balls - I've had issues with my laptop and now I don't have access to a scanner so these were taken with a webcam, pending scanning as soon as possible. Really really sorry about that.~~  
>  ~~2) The prompt was clearly made with a fic in mind, so the art is symbolic. This is where it gets a little complicated. There are four pieces, the first and third make a parallel as do the second and fourth. I'm going to assume you can't conclude everything from the images, so here's a good long explanation: the first and third pieces have three scenes following themes a) how the couple (Merlin and Arthur, Merlin and Gwaine respectively) met and what they did for fun, 2) intimacy, 3) a symbolic representation of how Merlin felt in the relationship (position of hand is important, hint hint). The second and fourth piece focus on Arthur as Merlin leaves him and as he comes back respectively. THE LIGHT IS THE KEY. No, I'm not kidding, it's that cheesy xD  
>  ~~3) I will absolutely scan these as soon as I can and then edit the post, so please don't dismiss these as horrendous until you've actually seen them properly, thank you :)~~~~

Again, these notes are huge, I'm aware, but they _are_ important, I swear.

So, I finally got around to scanning these and re-posting :D Let me start by explaining the prompt (which I don't have saved anywhere, so I'll just rephrase): Merlin and Arthur have been together since forever, they were each other's first and only everything. Then they start college and Arthur wants to focus on his studies so he neglects his social life. On the other hand, Merlin decides he wants to experience more, he meets Gwaine along the way and falls for the fact that Gwaine is the live-for-the-moment type, exactly everything Arthur is not. Merlin breaks up with Arthur, but soon realizes that 'freedom' is not quite what he hoped for, so he goes back to the person he actually loves.

As you can see, the prompt is hardly suitable for drawings, so I had to come up with creative ways of telling a story. What did I learn? That I was meant to be a writer, not a visual artist xD

The set, I feel, requires some explaining, and if you've read the original notes, you already know most of it:

a) pieces 1 and 3 make a parallel, as do pieces 2 and 4 ~~(parallels, get it get it)~~

b) pieces 1 and 3 consist of three separate scenes representing, in order, how the couple met and/or what they do for fun, the couple's version of intimacy and a symbolic panel for how Merlin feels in the relationship (hint: watch for the position of Merlin's hand in the last panel).

c) pieces 2 and 4 focus on Arthur; in the first one as Merlin leaves him and in the second one as Merlin comes back (hint: watch for the light and how it relates to both Merlin and Arthur)

I think that's it? Well, that actually wasn't so bad. Anyway, if someone wants more explanations, I'm willing to share my process of working on this, feel free to ask :)

A huge thank you to everyone who saw this originally and didn't shun me because of the poor quality of the images :D

ps: The scans are bloody huge, I've resized them for your viewing pleasure and they are not linked this time (for those who might know how I post art) because I couldn't find an image hosting website whose limit they didn't exceed; they do, however, exist in their gigantic and HD form and I can share them if anyone wants.


End file.
